Paradiso

The Paradiso Novels, Book 1

By: Francesca Scanacapra

Narrated by: Penny Andrews

Italy, 1937. In a tiny village in rural Lombardy, Graziella Ponti is born into a loving family. Though they are not rich and life is full of challenges, Graziella and her family are content and safe, surrounded by the tightly knit community of Pieve Santa Clara.

But when the shadow of World War Two falls across the village with the arrival of Nazi soldiers, nothing in young Graziella’s life will ever be the same again....

Paradiso is Graziella’s story. It charts her loves, losses and triumphs as she grows up in post-war Italy, a country in transformation, freed from the shackles of dictatorship yet still gripped by the restraints of the Catholic church.

Paradiso is inspired by true stories told to Francesca Scanacapra by her Italian family and set in locations where she spent much of her childhood. It is a deeply affecting novel that sheds light on the complexity and trauma of Italy’s past and weaves it into the epic tale of an ordinary woman compelled to live in extraordinary times.

An absolutely gripping and heartbreaking historical story in a series that explores the incredible courage of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen, Dinah Jeffries, Angela Petch, The Nightingale and anyone longing to lose themselves in the spectacular surrounds of rural Italy.

©2021 Francesca Scanacapra (P)2022 W. F. Howes Ltd

Hated the narration.

Didn’t enjoy the narrators voice or accent. Made it hard to keep listening. Also, ending seemed anti-climatic.

I was liking the short story (didn’t know it was going to be a short story) and it just ended.

I wish I hadn’t paid to listen to this short story. No climax or great story line and then it just ended.

In poor taste

The storyline is weak with poor character development. There was also this attempt at humor about body functions which translates in gross descriptions, what is the point? I felt like reading this was a waste of time.

interesting

I found this to be an interesting novel because the author made me feel like I was sitting at the edge of the woods where she then pulled back a curtain and allowed me to look in on a the lives of a few people. I'm able to witness war come to the life a young girl and her family. I didn't feel that it was a performance but truly just life unfolding including hurtful and horrific events but also triumphs and miracles

A Child's Perspective

I liked that the story was written from a child's perspective, which is an unusual approach. The story, however, would have been much more entertaining if the plot had been more complex--it plodded along at times. The narrator did a good job, but why was a British narrator hired to narrate an Italian girl's character?????